Chapter 601: Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Heavenly Resource
While Jian Chen could surmise that these three pieces had been left behind by Mo Tianyun, he really couldn’t begin to fathom the mystery behind them. If this was some sort of treasure map, there was no hint of a path or even a marking to indicate anything. It looked to be a regular tuft of animal skin, but it was completely unbreakable and hard to the touch.
Jian Chen turned the three pieces around several times. He eventually found the act unbeneficial and stored them back in his Space Ring. One of the three was what remained from the destruction of the Bi family, and Jian Chen had no intention of news leak out.
Afterward, Jian Chen stayed in his room for the next two days. He left his room when the annual auction started.
During the two days that past, the one called Little Spirit didn’t come to him again.
Early that morning, Jian Chen took grabbed the tiger cub and then made his way to the auction house. With the purchase of an entry ticket for several purple coins, Jian Chen was able to enter the auction house with the throngs of other people.
The space within the venue was extremely spacious, and there were seven levels to the main hall. Each level was filled with a multitude of seats that spanned as far as the eye could see. There were at the very least ten thousand of chairs per level, and since there were seven levels, at least seventy thousand people could be seated in this building.
The auction houses of Mercenary City did not have special guest rooms for people to enjoy. Instead, ordinary seating was provided for everyone. Whether it was the head of an illustrious family or a traveling merchant from some unknown land, they could be seen sitting together despite the gap in status.
Still holding the sleeping cub, Jian Chen walked up to a corner of one of the levels and carefully waited for the auction to finally start.
Roughly two hours later, the entire hall had filled with people to max capacity. Despite it being filled with over ten thousand people, the people remained relatively silent while everyone patiently waited for the event to begin. Not a single person tried to start a ruckus, and even the voices of the people conversing stayed whispers. If anything, many of them were using their eyes to do the talking.
Eventually the last remaining strands of light in the room dimmed, plunging the area into darkness. This darkness persisted for a while before several intense beams of light suddenly illuminated the frontmost podium for everyone to see clearly.
Standing on top of this podium was a young, beautiful woman, who seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Her appearance let slip that she was around thirty years old. The azure-blue robes she wore gave her a type of allure that perhaps only the devil himself could best. At this one moment, a small wooden mallet could be seen on the podium with her.
There had been no need for Jian Chen to even think to know that this beautiful woman would be the host of the auction. However, what surprised Jian Chen was the fact that this woman was a Heaven Saint Master.
Heaven Saint Masters were individuals who would enjoy an illustrious amount of fame if they came to the Gesun Kingdom. For an individual like this to personally lead an auction house was a lavish opportunity that only Mercenary City could afford.
The auction officially started after a few words of greeting by the hostess. One by one, rare oddities and exotic treasures began to take the stage, enticing the audience. The participants, who had been silent before, began to make noise as they shouted their offers.
“Middle Earth Tier Battle Skill for those with the fire Saint Force — starting bid is fifty thousand purple coins…”
“A single Class 7 Radiant Spirit Pill that can heal even the gravest of injuries within minutes — starting bid begins at seventy thousand purple coins.”
“Class 6 Monster Core, a treasure that can rarely be obtained on the continent. A once-in-a-lifetime item! The bid will begin at forty thousand purple coins.”
One by one, the auctioneer showcased rare items to the audience before they started to bid and fight over them. Each time the bid ended, the winning price was at least three times the original amount.
Soon enough, four hours had passed. The auctioneer brought out an antique yet elegant box. As soon as the lid was opened, a fragrant aroma wafted through the air. It covered every inch of the entire room, and caused several people to grow excited at the smell.
From his own seat, Jian Chen’s eyes concentrated on the box in the auctioneer’s hand. He knew that this item was something that he needed.
“Dear audience, I presume that this is not a strange item to everyone here. The object I hold is an extremely rare heavenly resource. Its name is the Geofruit, a fruit that was grown with spirit dirt that was enriched by the energy of the world. For ten thousands of years, the Geofruit has existed in the world as an extreme rarity even among the other heavenly resources. Not only does it have a life-changing effect of power strengthening, it can also prolong the age span of the eater. Should an Earth Saint Master or a Heaven Saint Master eat it, their lifespan will definitely increase by another two hundred years. It will also elevate their power to a whole different realm.”
The appearance of the Geofruit had inflamed the eyes of everyone there with excitement. Each of the Heaven Saint Masters were not lacking in funds by any means, and they had also several large groups to help supplement their wealth should they need it. To the Heaven Saint Masters who were almost at the end of their lifespan, worldly items, such as money, were nothing important at all — their lives were far more important.
The auctioneer smiled at the audience to conclude her speech, “Well, this servant will delay no longer with the auction. Everyone is well aware of the effects of the Geofruit I’m sure, and so it should go without saying that this is an opportunity that cannot be missed! It has a starting price of five hundred thousand purple coins and each successive bid must be a minimum of ten thousand. Begin!”
“Five hundred and fifty thousand purple coins.” By the end of the auctioneer’s declaration, someone increased the bid by five times the minimum bid.
“Six hundred thousand.” A person to the side of Jian Chen made a bid as well. He was a burly middle-aged man wearing a rich-purple robe. His facial appearance was nothing special besides his two bright and spirited eyes and his tall, sharp eyebrows. With those two traits and the powerful sword intent that exuded from him, he looked like a strong deity of the sword.
“Heaven Saint Master!” When Jian Chen sensed the man’s strength, he was secretly shocked. As expected, Mercenary City was a place where the strong gathered. It was rare to see Heaven Saint Masters elsewhere, but they were a common sight in the city.
“Seven hundred thousand!”
“Eight hundred thousand!”
……
The short moment after the Geofruit had been announced, a war between the bidders had already brought the price up to a million purple coins. A price like this was already enough to buy several thousand-year-old heavenly resources.
“One million three hundred thousand.” An elderly voice called out from the first level. By now, the astronomical price of the Geofruit had already scared off many of the bidders so that only a few remained.
“One million three hundred and fifty thousand.” The man next to Jian Chen spoke through clenched teeth. It seemed as if this price was already nearing the limit of what he could afford.
“One million four hundred thousand.” The same elder from before immediately called out.
With a disappointed sigh, the man muttered to himself, “Forget it, I’ll wait for the next auction to buy one.” Even though he had given up, there was still regret found in his voice.
Jian Chen had clearly heard what the man had said. He gave him a quick glance before looking back to the auction stage once more.
“One million seven hundred thousand….”
“One million eight hundred thousand….”
By now, the price of the Geofruit had already skyrocketed to almost two million purple coins. While it looked like the only difference between a thousand year old heavenly resource and a ten thousand year old heavenly resource was age, a ten hundred thousand year old heavenly resource was able to prolong the life of the one who ate it. With just this one factor alone, a ten thousand year old heavenly resource was far better than a thousand year old one.
Furthermore, ten thousand year old heavenly resources were extremely hard to obtain. The ones that managed to survive the harsh winds and stormy rains were few, and many heavenly resources in the several thousand year old ranges were plucked by magical beasts or humans to eat. Thus, raising heavenly resources to such an ancient age was an extremely difficult task.
“Two million eight hundred thousand.” At last Jian Chen broke his silence to offer a bid of his own. His bid beat the previous bid by a whooping million. He knew that plenty of people were fighting desperately for the Geofruit, so in order to deter others from bidding, he would bid an even higher amount.
This time, the auction house grew silent. Two million eight hundred? That was a sky-high price that would wash out the rest of the bidders.
Even the middle-aged man right next to Jian Chen stared strangely at him. Chuckling, he said, “Brother, you are quite bold if you’re willing to spend so much money for the Geofruit. I presume you’ll be giving it to an elder of yours?”
With a silent smile, Jian Chen shook his head.
Laughing openly, the man replied, “I was mistaken it seems. Then, is it for your own use, brother? A ten thousand year old heavenly resource gives a considerable amount of power to the eater. A Great Saint Master can become an Earth Saint Master with the help of one. One doesn’t even have to worry about the risk of becoming a cripple during that threshold either.”
Jian Chen’s eyes lit up straight away when he heard those words from the man. Cupping his hands, he asked, “Brother, is what you just said true? Can a Great Saint Master really become an Earth Saint Master with this?”
“Of course! This isn’t a secret by any means. Brother, if you don’t believe me, then feel free to ask any other man the same question, but not a single household would waste such a treasure on a Great Saint Master since ten thousand year old heavenly resources are unbelievably rare.” The man replied.
“Three million.” Just then, another offer was given.
“Three million five hundred thousand!” Jian Chen did not hesitate to increase the price again. He would take this heavenly resource with all his power for the sake of his younger cousin.